Hand paddle

ABSTRACT

A hand paddle (1) for a float (13) is described, having a grip part (6) and a paddle blade (2) which comprises a blade shoulder (3) and a blade edge (4) that is located opposite the blade shoulder (3) in the longitudinal direction of the paddle blade (2). In order to enable easy manufacture, flexible use possibilities, and use in a way that saves effort by the user, it is proposed that the paddle blade (2) forms the grip part (6) which is bounded by a grip cutout (5) that extends from the blade shoulder (3) in the longitudinal direction of the paddle blade (2).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a hand paddle for a float, having a grip partand a paddle blade which comprises a blade shoulder and a blade edgethat is located opposite the blade shoulder in the longitudinaldirection of the paddle blade.

PRIOR ART

For propelling floats, hand paddles are known (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,188,343A, 3,039,120 A, 3,109,184 A, 3,117,325 A, 3,153,797 A) which have a grippart, to which a paddle blade is attached, said paddle blade extendingin the longitudinal direction from a blade shoulder adjoining the grippart to a blade edge that is located opposite the blade shoulder in thelongitudinal direction of the blade. However, these hand paddles havethe disadvantage that they are very complex to manufacture and, due tothe size and design thereof, they cannot readily be used for floats thatare used in the recreation sector. In addition, such hand paddles haveto be guided by the user thereof, so that the introduction of force intothe float is effected by the user himself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem addressed by the invention is therefore that of configuringa hand paddle of the type described in the introduction in such a way asto enable easy manufacture, flexible use possibilities, and use in a waythat saves effort by the user.

The invention solves the stated problem in that the paddle blade formsthe grip part which is bounded by a grip cutout that extends from theblade shoulder in the longitudinal direction of the paddle blade. As aresult of this measure, there is no need for a separate grip partbecause the paddle blade of the hand paddle itself forms a grip part. Inthis connection, the orientation of the grip cutout in the longitudinaldirection of the paddle blade enables use of the hand paddle when thelongitudinal axis thereof, which extends in the longitudinal direction,extends substantially parallel to the water surface, as is usually thesituation in the case of recreational floats, such as inflatable poolmattresses and the like, due to the small freeboard.

In order to make it possible for the propulsion force generated by thehand paddle to be introduced into the float not only via the body of theuser but instead at least also directly via the hand paddle, it isproposed that the edge of the grip cutout that is located opposite thegrip part forms a clip which can be pivoted outward with respect to theblade shoulder and which is connected to the latter via a releasableclosure. The grip cutout thus forms, together with the grip part and theclip, a carabiner hook which makes it possible to connect the handpaddle to the float via the grip part, wherein the orientation of theresulting carabiner hook favours a rotation of the hand paddle about thepoint of articulation to the float. Due to the releasable closure andthe dimensioning of the grip cutout, the hand paddle according to theinvention can be used in a versatile manner and can be used on a varietyof floats.

In this connection, particularly advantageous design conditions areobtained when the closure is formed by a latching hook which cooperateswith a latching cutout. It is thus easily possible to ensure that thecarabiner hook formed by the grip part and the clip cannot be releasedunintentionally.

In order to enable particularly simple design conditions while at thesame time enabling safe handling, it is proposed that the grip partcomprises a grip base, which is formed in one piece with the paddleblade and bounds the grip cutout, and a closure part which is integrallyformed on the clip, engages around the grip base and forms an edge ofthe paddle blade. In this case, the grip base forms a stop for theclosure part, so that the clip with the closure part can be pivotedoutward with respect to the blade shoulder only when the closure part issimultaneously pivoted out of the plane of the grip base or paddleblade. By virtue of the measure according to the invention, such anoutward pivoting is prevented for as long as the grip part of the handpaddle, which is formed of the grip base and the closure part, is beinggrasped by a user.

In order to enable particularly ergonomic handling of the hand paddleand reliable actuation regardless of the size of the user's hand, theedge of the paddle blade that is located opposite the grip cutout may becurved inward in a concave manner in the region of the grip part. Thecurvature may be configured such that a grip recess is formed, whichcounteracts a lateral slipping of the user's hand within the gripcutout.

The possibilities for use of the hand paddle according to the inventioncan be extended if the grip part is connected to the grip part of asecond hand paddle via a connecting line. Apart from the fact that theconnecting line can be passed for example through handles of a float,the maintaining of a tension between the two hand paddles connected viathe connecting line favours a largely symmetrical body posture of theuser, which counteracts one-sided loading and also a slipping-off fromthe float. If a float has no available attachment option, the handpaddles according to the invention can still advantageously be used byvirtue of this measure.

In this connection, it is advantageous if the connecting line has adefined stiffness, which makes it easier for the user to maintain atension between the two hand paddies. To this end, the connecting linemay form annular bodies which are spaced apart from one another and aredistributed in the longitudinal direction, wherein the annular bodiesare configured in the manner of vertebrae such that they permit abending of the connecting line only to a certain extent. In thisconnection, by configuring the annular bodies as air-filled hollowbodies, the connecting line can easily be protected against sinking inthe water. In one particularly simple embodiment, both the connectingline and the annular bodies are manufactured in one piece from a rubber,plastic or foamed plastic.

According to what has been stated above, the subject matter of theinvention is also a float having a hand paddle according to theinvention, wherein a respective hand paddle is rotatably articulated tothe float on each of two opposite sides thereof, via attachment meansprovided for this purpose. Such attachment means on the float may be,for example, straps, eyelets or handles. If the float has handles, theseusually extend parallel to the main surface of the float, which permitsa larger radius of movement of an articulated hand paddle.

In this connection, however, particularly advantageous handlingconditions are obtained when a respective hand paddle is articulated toeach handle of the float, the handle forming a pivot axle which extendstransversely to the main surface of the float. To this end, the handlesof the float do not have to be arranged parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the float, as is customary, but instead normal to the mainsurface of the float. The advantage of this embodiment lies in the factthat on the one hand it is easier to hold onto the float and on theother hand the hand paddles are freely movable only in a plane parallelto the main surface of the float. When the hand paddles are pivoted outof this plane, in order in particular to enter the water and generate apropulsion, a clamping connection is established with the handles and aflexible elastic deformation of the hand paddles occurs, which enables amore stable connection between the hand paddles and the float.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter of the invention is shown by way of example in thedrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a hand paddle according to the invention in a schematicplan view,

FIG. 2 shows a hand paddle according to the invention in an alternativeembodiment, likewise in a schematic plan view,

FIG. 3 shows a float with two hand paddles according to the inventionattached to lateral handles, in a schematic plan view on a smallerscale,

FIG. 4 shows a float corresponding to FIG. 3 in an alternativeembodiment with handles extending transversely to the main surface ofthe float, and

FIG. 5 shows an illustration of the float corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3with two hand paddles connected via a connecting line.

WAY TO IMPLEMENT THE INVENTION

A hand paddle 1 according to the invention comprises a paddle blade 2which a blade shoulder 3 and a blade edge 4 that is located opposite theblade shoulder 3 in the longitudinal direction of the paddle blade 2. Itis provided according to the invention that the paddle blade 2 ispierced by a grip cutout 5 which extends from the blade shoulder 3toward the blade edge 4 in the longitudinal direction of the paddleblade 2. This results in a grip part 6 which is bounded by the gripcutout 5.

The grip cutout 5 adjoins not only the grip part 6 but also a clip 7which is formed by the edge of the grip cutout 5 that is locatedopposite the grip part 6. Said clip 7 can be pivoted outward withrespect to the blade shoulder 3 and is connected to the blade shoulder 3via a releasable closure 8. If the paddle blade 2 is made of a suitablyflexible material, no additional measures are required in order toenable the outward pivoting of the clip 7. However, it is also possibleto provide an articulation for this purpose in the region where the clip7 transitions into the paddle blade 2.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the closure 8 is formed in that boththe clip 7 and the grip part 6 each have a bore 9 in the region of theblade shoulder 3, which bores comes to lie one above the other in theclosed state of the clip 7 and thus can be penetrated by a locking pin(not shown in detail) or a carabiner hook, in order to lock the clip 7to the grip part 6 or to the blade shoulder 3 of the paddle blade 2. Inanother embodiment (not shown), the closure may also be formed by alatching hook which cooperates with a latching cutout. In principle, itis of no significance whether the latching cutout or the latching hookis assigned to the clip 7 or to the grip part 6 or the blade shoulder 3.However, particularly advantageous design conditions are obtained whenthe clip 7 has a latching hook which cooperates with a latching cutoutof the grip part 6. This embodiment can also be combined with theembodiment shown in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the grip part 6 comprises a grip base14, which is formed in one piece with the paddle blade 2 and bounds thegrip cutout 5, and a closure part 15 which is integrally formed on theclip 7, engages around the grip base 14 and forms an edge 10 of thepaddle blade. The grip base 14 thus forms a stop for the closure part15, so that the clip 7 with the closure part 15 can be pivoted outwardwith respect to the blade shoulder 3 only when the closure part 15 issimultaneously pivoted out of the plane of the grip base 14 or paddleblade 2. By virtue of the measure according to the invention, such anoutward pivoting is prevented for as long as the grip part 6 of thehandle paddle 1, which is formed of the grip base 14 and the closurepart 15, is being grasped by a user.

In order to achieve particularly ergonomic handling, the hand paddle 1according to the invention, in the illustrated embodiment the edge 10 ofthe paddle blade 2 that is located opposite the grip cutout 5 is curvedinward in a concave manner in the region of the grip part 6, as can beseen in particular in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The hand paddles 1 can be connected in an articulated manner to a float13, either per se or via the connecting line 11, as illustratedschematically in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The hand paddles 1 are rotatablyarticulated to the float 13 on two opposite sides thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a conventional float 13 with handles 17 extending parallelto the main surface of the float, a respective hand paddle 1 accordingto the invention being rotatably articulated to each of said handles asa result of the clip 7 or the grip cutout 5 enclosing the respectivehandle 17.

In one particularly advantageous embodiment, which is shown in FIG. 4,the handles 16 of the float 13 are arranged transversely to the mainsurface of the float 13, so that each handle forms a pivot axleextending transversely to the main surface of the float 13. Theadvantage of this embodiment lies in the fact that on the one hand it iseasier to hold onto the float 13 and on the other hand the hand paddles1 are freely movable only in a plane parallel to the main surface of thefloat, so as to enable a better introduction of force into the float 13.

According to the invention, a hand paddle 1 may also be connected to thegrip part 6 of a second hand paddle 1 via a connecting line 11. Theconnecting line 11 may have annular bodies 12 which are spaced apartfrom one another and are distributed in the longitudinal direction, onlya few of said annular bodies being shown by way of example in FIG. 5.

1. A hand paddle for a float, said hand paddle comprising: a paddleblade that comprises a blade shoulder and a blade edge that is locatedopposite the blade shoulder in a longitudinal direction of the paddleblade, wherein the paddle blade has a grip part that is bounded by agrip cutout that extends from the blade shoulder in the longitudinaldirection of the paddle blade.
 2. The hand paddle according to claim 1,wherein an edge of the grip cutout that is located opposite the grippart forms a clip that is pivotable outward with respect to the bladeshoulder and that is connected to the blade shoulder via a releasableclosure.
 3. The hand paddle according to claim 2, wherein the closure isformed by a latching hook that cooperates with a latching cutout.
 4. Thehand paddle according to claim 1, wherein the grip part comprises a gripbase that is formed in one piece with the paddle blade and bounds thegrip cutout, and a closure part which is integrally formed on the clip,engages around the grip base and forms an edge of the paddle blade. 5.The hand paddle according to claims 2, wherein the edge of the paddleblade that is located opposite the grip cutout is curved inward in aconcave manner in a region of the grip part.
 6. The hand paddleaccording to claim 1, wherein the grip part is connected with a grippart of a second hand paddle via a connecting line.
 7. The hand paddleaccording to claim 6, wherein the connecting line forms annular bodiesthat are spaced apart from one another and are distributed in thelongitudinal direction.
 8. An article comprising a float and two handpaddles each to claim 2, wherein each of said hand paddles is rotatablyarticulated to the float on a respective one of two opposite sidesthereof.
 9. The float according to claim 8, wherein each hand paddle isarticulated to a respective handle of the float, the handles eachforming a respective pivot axle extending transversely to a main surfaceof the float.
 10. The hand paddle according to claim 3, wherein the edgeof the paddle blade-that is located opposite the grip cutout is curvedinward in a concave manner in a region of the grip part.
 11. The handpaddle according to claim 4, wherein the edge of the paddle blade-thatis located opposite the grip cutout is curved inward in a concave mannerin a region of the grip part.
 12. The hand paddle according to claim 2,wherein the grip part is connected with a grip part of a second handpaddle via a connecting line.
 13. The hand paddle according to claim 12,wherein the connecting line forms annular bodies that are spaced apartfrom one another and are distributed in the longitudinal direction. 14.The hand paddle according to claim 3, wherein the grip part is connectedwith a grip part of a second hand paddle via a connecting line.
 15. Thehand paddle according to claim 14, wherein the connecting line formsannular bodies that are spaced apart from one another and aredistributed in the longitudinal direction.
 16. The hand paddle accordingto claim 4, wherein the grip part is connected with a grip part of asecond hand paddle via a connecting line.
 17. The hand paddle accordingto claim 16, wherein the connecting line forms annular bodies that arespaced apart from one another and are distributed in the longitudinaldirection.
 18. The hand paddle according to claim 5, wherein the grippart is connected with a grip part of a second hand paddle via aconnecting line.
 19. The hand paddle according to claim 18, wherein theconnecting line forms annular bodies that are spaced apart from oneanother and are distributed in the longitudinal direction.